Grips, Grunts and Groans

1937 American short film by Preston Black

Grips, Grunts and Groans

Directed by| Preston Black
Screenplay by| Clyde Bruckman
Story by| Searle Kramer
Herman Boxer
Produced by| Jules White
Starring|

* Moe Howard
* Larry Fine
* Curly Howard
* Harrison Greene
* Chuck Callahan
* Casey Columbo
* Tony Chavez
* Herb Stagman
* William J. Irving
* Cy Schindell
* Blackie Whiteford
* Elaine Waters
* Lew Davis

Cinematography| Benjamin H. Kline
Edited by| Charles Nelson
Distributed by| Columbia Pictures

Release date

* January 15, 1937 (1937-01-15) (U.S.)

Running time

| 18:44
Country| United States
Language| English

Grips, Grunts and Groans is a 1937 short subject directed by Preston Black starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 20th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who appeared in 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

## Plot

[edit]

Following their evasion of railroad authorities, the Stooges forge an acquaintance with Ivan Bustoff, a renowned wrestler embroiled in a high-stakes match orchestrated by his mob-affiliated trainers. Despite the trainers' wager on Bustoff's victory, his predilection for revelry leads to an inebriated stupor, jeopardizing his performance. In a bid to salvage the situation, the mob coerces the Stooges into managing Bustoff and ensuring his sobriety for the impending bout.

However, a mishap in the locker room ensues, resulting in Bustoff's incapacitation and necessitating an impromptu substitution with Curly. Leveraging Curly's susceptibility to Wild Hyacinth perfume-induced aggression, Moe and Larry devise a strategy to exploit this peculiarity to their advantage. Yet, Curly's performance in the ensuing wrestling match falls short of expectations. Amid mounting pressure from the mobsters, who threaten the Stooges with dire consequences for Curly's failure to secure victory, Moe seizes an opportunity to acquire Wild Hyacinth perfume from a spectator. Subsequently applying the fragrance to Curly, the resulting chaos sees Curly inadvertently incapacitating himself and the challenger, triggering a chain of comedic mishaps culminating in Curly's own knockout.

## Cast

[edit]

* Moe Howard as Moe
* Larry Fine as Larry
* Curly Howard as Curly
* Harrison Greene as Ivan Bustoff
* Chuck Callahan as Tony
* Casey Columbo as Ironhead
* Cy Schindell as Waiter
* William J. Irving as Waiter
* Tony Chavez as Kid Pinky
* Herb Stagman as Referee
* Blackie Whiteford as Mugg
* Elaine Waters as Girl with perfume
* Lew Davis as Tony's henchman
* Everett Sullivan as Policeman on telephone
* Ella McKenzie, Al Thompson, Pat West, Johnny Kascier, Betty McMahon, Solomon Horwitz as Spectators[1]

## Production notes

[edit]

The filming of Grips, Grunts and Groans took place from October 30 to November 5, 1936.[2] Its title parodies the expression "gripes, grunts and groans."[3]

An external stimulus that causes Curly to go berserk was also used as a plot element in Punch Drunks, Horses' Collars, and Tassels in the Air.[3]

A production still shows that Solomon Horwitz — father to Moe, Curly and Shemp Howard — appeared as a spectator during the wrestling scenes.[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Grips, Grunts and Groans at threestooges.net". Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
2. ^ Pauley, Jim (2012). The Three Stooges Hollywood Filming Locations. Solana Beach, California: Santa Monica Press, LLC. p. 130\. ISBN 9781595800701. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
3. ^ a b Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Glendale, California: Comedy III Productions, Inc. p. 99\. ISBN 0971186804.

## External links

[edit]

* Grips, Grunts and Groans at IMDb
* Grips, Grunts and Groans at threestooges.net

* v
* t
* e

The Three Stooges

* Moe Howard
* Larry Fine
* Curly Howard
* Shemp Howard
* Joe Besser
* Curly Joe DeRita

Works|

* The Three Stooges filmography
* The Three Stooges Collection
* Jerks of All Trades
* The New 3 Stooges
* The Three Stooges Scrapbook
* Kook's Tour
* Moe Howard and the Three Stooges

Related
topics|

* List of supporting actors in Three Stooges films
* Yogi Bear and the Three Stooges Meet the Mad, Mad, Mad Dr. No-No
* The Robonic Stooges
* Stoogemania
* "Swingin' the Alphabet"
* "The Curly Shuffle"
* 1984 arcade game
* 1987 video game
* 2000 TV biopic
* 2012 feature film
* C3 Entertainment

Associated
people|

* Felix Adler
* Edward Bernds
* Tiny Brauer
* Clyde Bruckman
* Charley Chase
* Paul Garner
* Ted Healy
* Rich Koz
* Del Lord
* Norman Maurer
* Hugh McCollum
* Christine McIntyre
* Frank Mitchell
* Joe Palma/Fake Shemp
* Fred Sanborn
* Emil Sitka
* Greta Thyssen
* Elwood Ullman
* Jack White
* Jules White

* Category

* v
* t
* e

The Three Stooges filmography (1934–1946)

1934|

* Woman Haters
* Punch Drunks
* Men in Black
* Three Little Pigskins

1935|

* Horses' Collars
* Restless Knights
* Pop Goes the Easel
* Uncivil Warriors
* Pardon My Scotch
* Hoi Polloi
* Three Little Beers

1936|

* Ants in the Pantry
* Movie Maniacs
* Half Shot Shooters
* Disorder in the Court
* A Pain in the Pullman
* False Alarms
* Whoops, I'm an Indian!
* Slippery Silks

1937|

* Grips, Grunts and Groans
* Dizzy Doctors
* 3 Dumb Clucks
* Back to the Woods
* Goofs and Saddles
* Cash and Carry
* Playing the Ponies
* The Sitter Downers

1938|

* Termites of 1938
* Wee Wee Monsieur
* Tassels in the Air
* Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb
* Violent Is the Word for Curly
* Three Missing Links
* Mutts to You
* Flat Foot Stooges

1939|

* Three Little Sew and Sews
* We Want Our Mummy
* A Ducking They Did Go
* Yes, We Have No Bonanza
* Saved by the Belle
* Calling All Curs
* Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise
* Three Sappy People

1940|

* You Nazty Spy!
* Rockin' thru the Rockies
* A Plumbing We Will Go
* Nutty but Nice
* How High Is Up?
* From Nurse to Worse
* No Census, No Feeling
* Cookoo Cavaliers
* Boobs in Arms

1941|

* So Long, Mr. Chumps
* Dutiful But Dumb
* All the World's a Stooge
* I'll Never Heil Again
* An Ache in Every Stake
* In the Sweet Pie and Pie
* Some More of Samoa

1942|

* Loco Boy Makes Good
* Cactus Makes Perfect
* What's the Matador?
* Matri-Phony
* Three Smart Saps
* Even as IOU
* Sock-a-Bye Baby

1943|

* They Stooge to Conga
* Dizzy Detectives
* Spook Louder
* Back From the Front
* Three Little Twirps
* Higher Than a Kite
* I Can Hardly Wait
* Dizzy Pilots
* Phony Express
* A Gem of a Jam

1944|

* Crash Goes the Hash
* Busy Buddies
* The Yoke's on Me
* Idle Roomers
* Gents Without Cents
* No Dough Boys

1945|

* Three Pests in a Mess
* Booby Dupes
* Idiots Deluxe
* If a Body Meets a Body
* Micro-Phonies

1946|

* Beer Barrel Polecats
* A Bird in the Head
* Uncivil War Birds
* The Three Troubledoers
* Monkey Businessmen
* Three Loan Wolves
* G.I. Wanna Home
* Rhythm and Weep
* Three Little Pirates

1947|

* Half-Wits Holiday

* Category

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